Dubai stage of UAE Tour to start and finish at Expo 2020

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The coming weeks will see a number of international sports events taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai, under the organisation and supervision of Dubai Sports Council, with leading international sports stars competing in front of audiences at the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, said: “At Expo 2020 Dubai, elite specialists from all fields of life have gathered to present their vision for the future of the world, and to present their nation’s rich culture and heritage, and to promote its industries and tourism.

“The Expo 2020 Dubai is ‘connecting minds’ from every realm of life to ‘create the future’, and it is no different in sports. The Expo has brought together world champions and decision-makers from around the globe to compete as well as to discuss the present and future of sports in the world.

“Expo 2020 Dubai is an interlinked event with a diverse programme, and Dubai Sports Council have organised and supported a number of events at the Expo since it started on October 1, 2021. These events are a reflection of the support that sports receives from our wise leadership.

“Visitors to the Expo have been able to meet and greet top sports stars and legends, and witness intense competition in the many international sports competition that have taken place there, while members of our sports-loving community have been able to participate in unique community sports events that take place in Expo 2020 Dubai on a weekly basis.

“Thousands of our sports-loving community members will be back in Expo 2020 Dubai on Saturday, January 22, alongside hundreds of visitors from overseas, to take part in the Expo 2020 Dubai Run 2, which is being staged a second time because of popular demand.

“Next month, on February 25, Expo 2020 Dubai will become the focal point of the cycling world as the sixth stage of the 2022 UAE Tour – the one and only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East – starts and finishes at the Expo. We will see 140 cyclists representing 20 international teams in action during the Expo 2020 Dubai Stage and the 180km route will take the cyclists across Dubai, touching locations like Dubai Sports City, Silicon Oasis Meydan Racecourse, Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Islands, and showcasing landmarks like Ain Dubai and Museum of the Future.

“The Expo 2020 Dubai Stage of the UAE Tour, of course, will not be the end of our calendar of top international events at Expo 2020 Dubai. Dubai Sports Council is working with organisers from inside and outside the country to bring more sports events and tournaments at the Expo, and further details about these events will be revealed in time.”

Expo 2020 Dubai has also hosted exhibition football matches, featuring some of the sport’s biggest names as well as young emerging talents. Argentina ace Lionel Messi has also visited the Expo 2020 Dubai headquarters, and so has Robert Lewandowski, winner of the 2021 FIFA Best Men's Player, who met his fans at Al Wasl Plaza.